News for the Week of November 4, 2015

Our November School Mass will be held on Friday, 11/6, at 9am in the church.  All are welcome to join us in worship.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass. 

First Quarter Report Cards will be sent home with students in grades 1-8 on Friday, November 6th. Please be sure to retain your copy of the report card and to sign & return the report card envelope to school so it can be reused.  Kindergarten students will receive their first report cards in January.

Parent/Teacher Conferences are next week.  Conferences will be held from Monday, November 9 - Thursday, November 12.  Each of these days will be a 12:45pm early dismissal for grades K-8.  PreKindergarten Enrichment is available but there will be NO AFTERCARE.  Please use the Sign Up Genius to register for your conference(s).  Click here.

Morning Drop Off Reminders -  Morning carpool drop off is a very busy time.  Many parents need to complete this drop off as expediently as possible in order to get to work on time. As the cooler weather  arrives, please make an effort to have your children ready to exit your car when you arrive prepared for the weather outside.  Significant delays develop when parents needs to get out of the car to help children into coats and on with bags.  Delays in the carpool line have resulted in some poor choices in carpool navigation by people in a hurry to reach their next destination for the day.  Student safety must be our primary concern during drop off and pick up times.  Additionally, if you choose to park your car in the north lot rather than use the drive up/drop off line, please be sure you park out of the traffic flow used by our school buses and that students walk to their lines carefully with consideration given to the cars and buses moving in the parking lot.

Students in Miss Bedard's Kindergarten explored our math strategy of the month - Find a Pattern. Students used Pilgrim hats, string, and beads to create an add 1 more pattern.

It's time to think about the Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon!  Each year, over 200 area senior citizens enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving luncheon served by our 8th grade students and parent volunteers.  This event relies on the participation of our whole school community to make it a success - many food donations are needed and we appreciate the help of many volunteers with food preparation, setup, serving and clean up.  This year, our Senior Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, November 18th. 

There is a Sign Up Genius link for each homeroom class for food donations needed and also one to sign up to volunteer. Click here for these Sign Up Genius links. 

Please be sure to send in your donations by the due date listed for the item(s). The due dates allow time to purchase supplies if adequate donations are not received. There are three due dates: Friday, November 13th; Monday, November 16th and Wednesday, November 18th NLT  9AM.  Each item has it's due date listed on the sign up genius. 

If you are able to help with setup, serving and/or cleanup, please note that a separate volunteer sign up will also be sent  out to all classes and will be posted on the website.

 Please note -  NO HOT LUNCH IS SERVED ON 11/18 DUE TO THE SENIOR LUNCHEON.

Veteran's Day Prayer Service - On Wednesday, November 11, 2015, we will be having a Veteran's Day prayer service at 9am in the parish center. All veterans are invited to attend. Please email Mrs.Gore atVGore@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net if you would like to attend. 

Ski & Snowboard Club UPDATE: It is not too late to participate.  The number of participants is still below the minimum but not by much.  Please contact Group Leader Jim Shanley ASAP if your son or daughter wants to participate but you have not registered yet.  He can be reached at jhs01@charter.net or 239-989-6206 cell.

Fifth Grade Service Project - Collection of new socks for the House of Bread 

Students in Mrs. Gore's fifth grade class are collecting NEW socks for the House of Bread.  New, adult and youth socks are being collected until Monday, November 30th. 

Thanks in advance for your support!

October was the month of the Holy Rosary and Kindergarten and 8th grade students joined together last week to pray the Rosary.

Grade 8 Fundraising -  It's time for the Poinsettia Sale!  Again this year, our 8th grade will be selling beautiful poinsettias perfect for holiday decorating or as gifts.  All orders and payments are due NLT Wednesday, November 18th.  Poinsettias will be available for pick up on Friday, December 4th from 2-4 in the Parish Center and after Masses on Saturday, December 5th and Sunday, December 6th.   Click here for an order form.

Seventh Grade Students spent the morning orienteering on Tuesday, 11/3, as part of their ROPES experience this year.

Community News

Annual Turkey Trot Non-Perishable Food Collection - Help SMS fill the truck! - Again this year, our school will be collecting non-perishable food items to benefit the Turkey Trot food drive.  Donations may be sent in beginning on Monday, 11/9 until Thursday, 11/12.  Please be sure all donations are clearly marked "Turkey Trot" so they do not get confused with Senior Luncheon donations.  Please see information below if you would also like to contribute a monetary gift or turkey to the Turkey Trot.

Friends of Barb Sieber - A rosary will be said for Barb on Tuesday, November 10^th, at 6:30PM at St. Mary’s Church .  Special shout out to SMS Alums from the Class of '13 and other friends of Kevin Sieber, you are especially invited to join us in prayer for Kevin's mom.  Please join us! 

Wreaths Across America - Wreaths Across America will be celebrated for the 7th consecutive year on December 12th, in Simsbury Cemetery on Plank Hill Rd. This ceremony, hosted by the Abigail Phelps Chapter NSDAR, with participation from the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War, will begin promptly at 12 noon followed by a cookie reception in the Simsbury Library and all are welcome. Click here for a wreath sponsorship form and payment information.  If you would like to donate a photo/obituary or holiday photo of a deceased Veteran for our Simsbury WAA scrapbook, please send it along as well (COPIES ONLY). Wreath cost is $15 with $5 of each wreath forwarded to local veterans causes. Deadline to order is November 27th, as all wreaths are shipped from Maine directly to cemeteries nationwide. Orders for any Veteran’s grave located nearby but outside of Simsbury, are accepted on a pickup basis. A pickup time, after December 12th, should be coordinated with Angie Bautista at abautista@me.com.

Canton Public Schools is hosting a Minds in Motion event that is open to the public! Minds in Motion will take place on Saturday, November 7th at Canton Middle/High School. Minds in Motion is a collection of hands-on enrichment workshops for any children in grades K-8 (including American Ninja Junior, Capoeira, Robotics, Coding, and Crime Scene Investigation). We also offer adult workshops that are free of charge, and a very exciting Keynote speaker, Katie Hayden, who will be talking about Supporting Your Child's Creative Thinking.

Click here for the course brochure. Please register early, as classes tend to fill up quickly!  Click here for the Minds in Motion registration link.

In order for Minds in Motion to run, we need volunteers to help us on the day of the event. If you'd be interested in helping for an hour, two hours, or even for the entire event, please click the link below to sign up.  Please note that priority placement in the workshops is given to children of our volunteers.  Click here to volunteer.

Grade 3 Sharing - Students in Mrs. Lugo's third grade have a wide variety of interests, collections and life experiences to share.  This week, Robert and Lorelei were among students that shared interesting items from their life experience.  Robert shared his mineral collection and Lorelei shared a mask form Venice, Italy.